Iron Chef Symphonia: The Wonder Chef's Revenge
by OkonoMiyagi
Summary: Direct sequel to ICS: Aselia Cup. The Wonder Chef believes his battle against Lloyd Irving was unfair. Naturally, he challenges the Chairman's newest Iron Chef to a rematch.
1. A Grudge

**Iron Chef Symphonia: The Wonder Chef's Revenge**

**Summary: Direct sequel to "ICS: Aselia Cup." The Wonder Chef believes his battle against Lloyd Irving was unfair. Naturally, he challenges the Chairman's newest Iron Chef to a rematch.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Iron Chef, or any of the characters involved. All characters are assumed to be speaking Japanese unless otherwise noted.**

**

* * *

Chapter 1: A Grudge**

_If memory serves me right, four months ago, Lloyd Irving won the first Aselia Cup Tournament._

_ I appointed him Iron Chef after he defeated the Wonder Chef, Martin Ellis, who had challenged Irving after kidnapping two of my Iron Chefs. But…_

_ (flashback to tournament) _"LLOYD IRVING!"

_The result…Irving's victory. We had thought the duel was settled._

_ I recently received a letter from Chef Ellis claiming that the match four months ago was unfair—and that he now demands a rematch against Irving._

_ "It was a biased tasting. How could we expect the Iron Chefs to vote against the one who was trying to rescue their comrades? I refuse to believe that my food did not elicit praise from the Iron Chefs."_

_ Surely Chef Ellis would not dare to challenge me a third time! But very well, I accept the challenge…so that Ellis can prove himself to live up to his self-proclaimed title as "The Wonder Chef."_

_ Let's introduce him once again. The number one chef in Altamira: owner and head chef of Kyo-no Hanten, Martin Ellis._

_ He fuses Sylvaranti and Tethe'allan recipes to create his own style of worldly cuisine. At his restaurant, people are still talking about his loss to Iron Chef Irving._

_ "I really think he should've won. His food was obviously much better-looking than Lloyd's, and I bet it tasted much better, too."_

_ This, my loyal fans, is the battle you have been waiting for! The resolution of the grudge match between the Wonder Chef and the Iron Chefs!_

_ So now, you two chefs! Fight it out and settle your unsettled duel in this match today!_

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"Somebody get me some mangoes and crabmeat!" Lloyd barked. "Two Crab Mango Royales needed at table seven! And get going on the Lobster Hot Pot, same table!"

Lloyd was glad that his fellow Iron Chef, Genis Sage, finally had the nerve to ask out the target of his affections, Presea Combatir. What he wasn't expecting, however, was for the two of them to come to _his_ restaurant for their first date. And he _really_ wasn't expecting the two of them to order one of the dishes that he used to win against Presea, especially when the thought of his grudge rematch with the Wonder Chef loomed in the next couple of weeks.

_Genis, man, I love ya and I'll take care of you,_ he thought, _but I hope you realize I'm not covering the bill for YOUR date…_

The whole mangoes arrived at Lloyd's cutting board, which he promptly began to break down.

_Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat._

_Fukui would probably say something about how I'm "mowing them down"…I can hear his voice in my head, _Lloyd thought. He had been an Iron Chef for about two months, still undefeated in Kitchen Stadium Symphonia despite having already fought seven battles. _I guess that's what being an Iron Chef does to you…_

_Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—_

"Agh!"

His knife slipped and nicked his finger, drawing blood. He called his assistant over to cover the job for him as he retreated into the back room to fetch a bandage.

"What's wrong, Lloyd?"

The twin swordsman spun around to find his best friend and business partner, the familiar blonde Chosen.

"Nothing! Justcutmyfingerthat'sallnothingtoseehere…" he babbled.

"What?"

"Ijustcutmyfingerdammit!"

"Why are you talking so fast?" Colette asked, a little worried for Lloyd as she grabbed him by the shoulders. He immediately tensed.

"Just…" He took a breath to calm himself. "I'm nervous. I have to battle the Wonder Chef again in two weeks and I can't let down the Gourmet Academy! Who knows what will happen to them—never mind me and Genis—if he wins this time!"

Lloyd wrapped the bandage he found around his finger as Colette poured him a glass of water.

"You go home for now. I'll take care of the kitchen for today. I think you need some rest."

"But what about Genis and Presea's plates?"

Colette winked.

"Don't worry, leave it to me!" she said with a smile. With that, she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Lloyd in the back room by himself. His heart rate was still a few notches higher than he wanted it to be.

_I saved the world once before…why am I so worked up about a cooking contest?_

The haunting image from two months ago, of Sakai and Chen tied back-to-back against each other as they ascended into view, and the Wonder Chef's equally eerie ascent into Kitchen Stadium kept playing in his head.

_I saved Kitchen Stadium once before, under arguably more difficult circumstances…_

Kaga's furious voice rang out in his head.

_"What is the meaning of this? Silence, Fukui!"_

Lloyd's breathing became more and more shallow as the final battle against the Wonder Chef started playing like a movie in his head.

_I need out of here._

He bolted out the door, through the kitchen (bypassing an oblivious Colette), and stormed through the main dining room where a particular young mage and his little woodcutter ladyfriend were dining. He quickly disappeared, not even acknowledging his friend's presence in his restaurant.

"What got into him?" Genis asked, perplexed by his best friend's unusual behavior.

The pink-haired girl sitting opposite him could only offer a similarly confused expression.

"I haven't the foggiest idea."

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

_So he gave me fruit, seafood, and dairy before…what could be next?_

Lloyd sat at the table in Dirk's house, sheets upon sheets of paper strewn all over the table and the floor. He had spent most of his time since coming home from the restaurant thinking up potential recipes for any theme ingredient he could think of, and it was already late into the night.

_Vegetables…cabbage, maybe? The cabbage rolls will do the trick quite nicely…_

"'Ow long 'ave ye been at those recipes, anyway?" Dirk finally asked him, looking up from the forge.

_I should really be worried if Kaga pulls something completely out of left field…though what could he do?_

"'Allo, Lloyd? What's gotten into ye?"

"Wha?" Startled, Lloyd finally looked up at his adoptive father. "What's up, Dad?"

"Ye 'aven't left the table since ye've been home," he said, picking up some of the papers on the floor. "What's on yer mind?"

Lloyd put his head down on the table and groaned.

"I'm supposed to battle the Wonder Chef in a week—"

"Well then, relax, my son!" Dirk said. "It's just like any other battle you've fought…I thought you were more up in arms about battlin' Colette before!"

"Dad, you don't understand!" Lloyd shouted. "The Wonder Chef kidnapped Iron Chefs Sakai and Chen, threatening to make them work under him! If I lose this one against him…he's probably going to take over the Gourmet Academy!"

Dirk sat down at the table.

"But I don't get it," he replied. "The Wonder Chef taught ye how to cook, right? Why would he be tryin' to take over another cooking organization?"

"The hell if I know!" Lloyd shot back. Before he could say anything more, he heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it…"

He was surprised to see Colette at the doorstep with two other familiar figures—one, his Iron Chef brother-in-arms; and the other, veiled in shadow except for the luminescent blue glow of wings that disappeared as soon as he opened the door.

"What…what are you doing here?"

* * *

**I'm sitting here re-reading this and I'm wondering, "What DID get into the Wonder Chef, anyway?"**

**This story is underway! Stay tuned…**


	2. Journey to Relax the Soul

**Chapter 2: Journey to Relax the Soul**

"Colette dragged us here…she sounded worried for you," Genis said as Lloyd let them in. "Is something wrong?"

"He's been obsessing himself over this battle that he's got coming up," Colette said almost pleadingly. "You've got to help him!"

"I have NOT been obsessing over this battle!" Lloyd said. "I just…as an Iron Chef, I need to be prepared for anything that comes my way, especially when the stakes are this high!"

"Lloyd's preparing for something? That's new…" Genis smirked.

"Hey, shut up, Genis! You haven't had any stressful battles as far as I can tell!"

"Enough," the auburn-haired seraph said. "Listen to yourselves, you sound like children." Kratos sat down at the table where Lloyd's recipe papers were and examined one. _Bell pepper_, it read at the top. _Flavor description,_ underneath.

_Green—bitter. Red—sweet. Yellow—tangy. Orange—somewhere in between sweet and tangy._

"Sounds about right to me…" Kratos muttered under his breath as he continued to scan the rest of the paper, which had Lloyd's notes about which tastes or ingredients he could conceivably pair the bell peppers with, along with those he should avoid. What caught his attention after that, though, was a rough sketch of what appeared to be a bell pepper with something inside.

"What's this?" the seraph asked, pointing to the sketch.

"Oh, that?" Lloyd replied, getting a better look at the paper. "I always wanted to try something like that. See how it looks and tastes, you know? In case, say, bell peppers came up as the theme."

"You know the theme already?" Colette asked. "That's great, Lloyd! You'll win the battle for sure!"

"Except he didn't say that…" Genis replied.

"This is true," Kratos replied. "He only said he was doing this in case bell peppers happened to be the theme for the battle."

Kratos flipped through some more papers, seeing some theme ingredient "crib sheets," as Genis called them, for a wide range of ingredients—shrimp, beef, squid, garlic, chiles, even kirima.

"When did you find the time to do all these?" he asked.

"Eh, I dunno, I was trying out new things for the restaurant and decided to map out my thought processes."

"Lloyd's actually thinking about something? Oh, wait until Raine hears this…" Genis said.

"Hey, shut up, Genis!" Lloyd snapped. "This is just about as serious as saving the world was. Just like during our journey, livelihoods are at stake! And I will not let another person be victimized because someone else thinks the only way they'll be happy is to make others miserable!"

"Well, we can't have you obsessing over trying to win this battle either," Genis shot back. "If you keep this up, you won't be in a healthy state of mind to even compete. Trust me, that's what Michiba-sensei told me before I battled for the first time."

Lloyd seemed worried to be separated from his precious recipes. "But…but the battle—"

"That's not important right now, Lloyd," Colette piped up. "We're just worried you're going to overwork yourself, that's all. I already worried for you when you cut your finger earlier."

"I have an idea," Genis said, then pulled Colette over and whispered something in her ear, after which she appeared to light up. "I'm taking this as a yes. Lloyd, we're taking you out to dinner."

The blonde Chosen all but dragged Lloyd out the door of Dirk's house and gleefully hopped onto her Rheaird with him, Genis and Kratos following suit.

"Oh, this'll be so fun, Lloyd!" Colette shouted as Genis sweatdropped at the sight. "It'll be like a nice family dinner!"

Kratos couldn't help but freeze at Colette's remark. It had been quite a long time since Kratos actually had a "family dinner" per se—in fact, he hadn't had one since Anna passed away.

_I suppose now that Lloyd knows who his father is, this will be a nice family dinner. Colette and Genis are like brother and sister to him, I can tell…_ he thought, backtracking on the brother/sister thought.

_Well, maybe Genis is just the perennial little brother, but I don't think Colette loves him like a sister would…_

"To Mizuho!" Colette shouted, interrupting the seraph's thoughts.

"Mizuho?" Lloyd asked.

"Oh, you'll see."

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"You should've told me we were coming to Iron Chef Michiba's place here! I wouldn't have been so confused!" Lloyd pestered Colette as they landed outside Mizuho. "I don't think I've ever been here…"

"I was here once after I gave the lecture at the culinary academy," Genis said. "Easily, one of my favorite meals of all time. I wonder if Michiba-san is working there today…"

The group sat down at the sushi bar, where Lloyd could see the kitchen in the back as well as the sushi chefs hard at work.

_And they're putting such delicate work into everything they do, too…I wonder what it takes to have that kind of control over your work._

"Excuse me," Genis asked one of the sushi chefs, "do you know if Michiba-san is here today?"

"He should be here, I think he just got back from the academy," replied the raven-haired chef. "And it's certainly a surprise to see you here, Iron Chef Sage. I see you brought your friends with you as well."

The young mage went bug-eyed when he realized to whom he just spoke.

"Sheena?"

The raven-haired kunoichi-turned-chef gave a light chuckle at her friend's surprise. "Yep, that's me! Hi Colette! Lloyd, Kratos, good to see you," she said as she handed each of them a plate with ginger and wasabi on it.

"I didn't know you worked here, Sheena," Kratos said as he received his plate.

"Ah, yeah, well," she said as she wet her hands, "I took classes under Chef Michiba at the academy to boost my cooking abilities. When I finished a couple of months ago, he gave me an apprenticeship here—said I displayed 'exceptional talent' as a sushi chef. Which is apparently uncommon for a woman, especially here in Mizuho."

"Wow, onee-chan! Congratulations! How long have you been here?"

"Oh, about…three months now?"

"Try about four, Shihna-chan," an old man emerging from the kitchen said. "Your friends are here, I see—eh! Genis-kun! Lloyd-kun! Good to see you again!"

"Michiba-sensei!" Genis stood up and reached out to shake the elder man's hand, Lloyd doing the same.

"Has it really been four months, Michiba-sensei?" Sheena asked.

"Oh yes, and have they passed ever so quickly as well. I was rather disappointed when Fumiko's time was up and she took the head chef job at one of the restaurants Nakamura-san owns in Flanoir, but I know she was going to be successful. And besides, now that you're here, I've never seen the place so packed in my life!" The old man let out a hearty chuckle, then turned to Sheena's companions at the bar. "I must say, Genis-kun, ever since you've become an Iron Chef I've been immensely impressed with your work. Everything is going well in Altamira?"

"Ah, yes, thank you, sir," he replied.

"Good to hear. And Lloyd-kun, Colette-chan, your restaurant seems to be doing well…I keep meaning to come out there but I'm afraid I'm tied up here and at the academy. But just think of how wonderful of a field trip that would be…"

"You're more than welcome to come," Colette said, bowing. "We would be honored to host your students."

"Thank you, Colette-chan," the old man bowed back as he fetched a few bowls from the back shelf. "Lloyd-kun, you don't look well. Is everything OK?"

The twin swordsman didn't respond, but the vaguely pained expression on his face told the story.

"He's just stressed at the prospect of his rematch with the Wonder Chef next week," Kratos spoke up. "He's been obsessed with making recipes for every single ingredient he can think of, and it's beginning to consume him. We took him here to relax a bit—actually Genis suggested we come here."

"I see…a restless soul in need of peace. Sometimes, Lloyd, one needs to relax their drive so as not to let their ideals cloud their judgment. And one needs to enjoy the company of your friends to prevent that, too. That was a lesson you learned on your journey, was it not?" Michiba asked him as he disappeared into the back kitchen.

Even Sheena went bug-eyed at the man's wisdom. _He's only lived on Aselia for a couple of years and he knows every conceivable bit of our journey? How in the world…?_

"I don't really get it, but OK, I know it's not exactly healthy for me to obsess over something I really want…" Lloyd said, sipping his water.

"Lloyd, you know full well what he was talking about," Sheena said as she gripped her knife and prepared some sashimi.

"I do?"

"…never mind," she sighed.

Lloyd dismissed the thought as he watched Sheena prepare the fish. Never had he seen such care go into preparing something that didn't need to go over a flame—the careful manner in which her knife sliced through the block of fish, the way she took the pieces and laid them carefully on the plate. Even when competing in Kitchen Stadium, he was too focused on getting his dishes done in time to think about the care of actual preparation.

His thoughts were interrupted when Michiba returned with several bowls of soup, which he offered to the group.

"This is on me," he said. "My famous Broth of Vigor. Lloyd, one sip of this and you'll be ready to take on the Wonder Chef in no time."

The twin swordsman took the bowl and lifted it to his lips, taking a sip of the warm broth. The green onions floating in it produced a nice crunch under his teeth, and the small cubes of tofu added a nice soft texture to an already-soothing soup.

"I feel…invigorated," he said with a tone of wonder in his voice.

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"Thank you very much, both of you," Lloyd said to Sheena and Michiba before the group left for home.

"Oh, wait a minute, Lloyd," Sheena called out. "Michiba-sama wanted to give you something, I think…"

Sure enough, the old man emerged from the front door with a little figurine in his hands.

"When I think of the definition of an Iron Chef," the old man began, "I think of an old Chinese word called mokkei. Some time ago, there was a king who was very fond of chicken fighting."

Lloyd looked at Michiba as if he was crazy. "What?"

"Yes, chicken fighting. He went out to seek the best fighter."

Colette gave him an even more curious glance, interested by this tale that was sounding stranger to her as Michiba divulged.

"But one chicken was too cowardly, another too flighty, the next one too proud, having won too many battles. So the king struggled to find the best fighter. Ultimately, he found one—carved entirely out of stone."

"Stone?" Genis asked incredulously.

"Yes, stone," the old man replied. "The idea behind a stone chicken was that it would never shirk from battle, that it would never be intimidated by its enemies. Whether it faced a tiger or a lion, the stone chicken was never agitated. Obviously, it's because it has no heart—and, therefore, no feelings. So the moral of the story, then, is that one who can fight without a heart will win.

"That is the philosophy I lived by in Kitchen Stadium, that I wouldn't budge, even if confronted by a lion. A strong Iron Chef keeps his mind and soul focused only on the task at hand."

The group stood silently as Michiba handed Lloyd the figurine—a small chicken carved out of stone.

"I, too, was distraught by the events near the end of the Aselia Cup Tournament," Michiba said. "While I thoroughly believe my judging was as unbiased as possible, I do wish this miscreant would be put in his place once and for all. So it is my hope, Lloyd-kun, that you keep this figurine as an inspiration."

The twin swordsman turned the little figurine in his hands, thanking the old man for the inspiration (even if it took him a little while to understand Michiba's waxing poetics). On the bottom of the small, circular wooden base, he could make out Michiba's famous calligraphy, with two characters on the bottom.

焦点. _Focus._


	3. Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

**Chapter 3: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold**

Backstage at Kitchen Stadium was an unusually lonely place for Lloyd Irving. The other Iron Chefs were not here today before the battle, and Genis preferred to sit in the Royal Box rather than be a part of the Chairman's rather tedious ritual, even if said ritual made for good television.

The twin swordsman was left to his own devices for the next few minutes until the show began, and Lloyd thought he was going to lose his mind.

He remembered the tournament, and the look of pure horror he saw on the Iron Chefs' faces when they were tied to the chair.

"Dammit," he cursed under his breath. "I can't let him do this…I can't let Kitchen Stadium become another Iselia…"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the stone chicken figurine Michiba had given him, turning it over in his hands several times. The kanji the old man had brushed onto the base himself seemed to stare Lloyd in the face.

_Focus._

He remembered the Tower of Salvation, after Colette had become an empty shell of herself after completing the angel transformation. He remembered the battle at the Den of Flying Dragons. He remembered fighting to save Colette's life, and how rewarding it had been when he finally saw the familiar glitter in her eyes once again.

And then he remembered how he stopped at nothing until Colette got her soul back.

If that wasn't a display of focus, he didn't know what was. He slipped the figurine back into his pocket and rose to his feet.

_For the Gourmet Academy…for the Iron Chefs…for the Chairman…let's do this!_

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

Kaga entered the Stadium to his customary round of applause and shouted a rousing cry of, "My Gourmet Academy is forever!"

"So far, the man the world knows as the Wonder Chef has suffered two straight losses against my Iron Chefs," Kaga spoke at his familiar position behind the ingredient stand. "For his third match, he has targeted my newest Iron Chef for revenge."

Behind the red curtain, the Wonder Chef adjusted his green apron and held his giant fork proudly in his right hand.

_Kaga…you're going down this time._

"Let's bring him on! From Altamira's Kyo-no Hanten…head chef Martin Ellis!"

"All right, and entering the Stadium, the—well, no, not _yet_ entering the Stadium…the Wonder Chef, Martin Ellis, staring down the Chairman, what's going on here?"

Kaga pointed angrily at the Wonder Chef, and roared his name once more before he finally strode down the red carpet.

"And there goes Challenger Ellis, finally, down the red carpet to meet the Chairman…this is surely going to be a battle of wills today!"

The Wonder Chef offered his hand to Kaga and bowed.

"Welcome back," the Chairman said diplomatically. "And not a moment too soon."

"Well, I have my reasons," the Wonder Chef shot back.

"Why have you come to challenge my Gourmet Academy a third time?"

"I want to set the record straight that I am the only chef worthy of the title of 'Best in Aselia'. And your Iron Chefs are not going to stand in my way!" Ellis defiantly cried, to which Kaga let a chuckle escape.

"Very well…then, I suppose it's time to call upon the Iron Chef who has, without a doubt, haunted you for the last two months."

He turned to the Royal Box on the Iron Chef's side of the kitchen and boomed forth his signature call.

"Yomigaeru-ai…IRON CHEF!"

**==BEAT THE ANGEL==**

The stadium went dark as the tapestry behind the Royal Box lifted out of view to reveal Lloyd's portrait, which showed that he had a special Iron Chef uniform made especially for him—in his trademark red, of course. Soon enough, the twin swordsman himself rose into view.

"Ascending into the ethereal atmosphere and assuming his rightful position comes Iron Chef Sylvaranti the Second, Lloyd Irving!" Fukui narrated as Lloyd, wielding crossed knives, stared down the Wonder Chef as his elevator platform came to a halt. "Co-owner/chef of _Anna_ in Iselia, Irving's beaten Chef Ellis once before, after the Aselia Cup Tournament…but now, the Wonder Chef is looking to tarnish his blemish-free record in Kitchen Stadium…this is one revenge match he can't afford to lose!"

The twin swordsman said nothing as he descended the steps into the Stadium, taking his side and accepting his apron from his assistant.

"The last time you two met, we used eggs—a fairly common ingredient," Kaga began. "This time, we go the other direction—a rare, exotic one. And, might I add, expensive. Total cost: about half a million gald."

Lloyd raised his eyebrows at the mention of the cost. _What in the way of food does this world have that would cost that much?_

"And now, we unveil the ingredient. Today's theme…is THIS!"

Kaga ripped the tablecloth off the ingredient stand to reveal, rising in the midst of the cloud of smoke, a small basket containing a good number of small, almost-spherical objects. The Wonder Chef smirked, while Lloyd's wide-eyed gaze just turned even wider.

_What the heck ARE those things?_

"Today's theme is…TRUFFLES!"


	4. Toryufu Confront

**Chapter 4: Toryufu Confront**

**==YOU GO, WE GO==**

挑戦者 }K{ 鉄人

マーティン・エリス VS ロイド・アーヴィング

TORYUFU CONFRONT

"The newest Iron Chef, Lloyd Irving, faces his toughest test yet as the Wonder Chef, Martin Ellis, challenges the Gourmet Academy for the THIRD time!" Fukui exclaimed. "Iron Chef Irving, trying to preserve his undefeated record in Kitchen Stadium; Challenger Ellis, seeing if third time's the charm today…we are set, let's get it on!"

Kaga's stern expression did not leave his face as he boomed forth the familiar call to battle:

"ALLEZ CUISINE!"

"Opening gong sounds, this battle is underway," Fukui narrated, "beginning with Iron Chef Irving being the first one up to the ingredient stand to get first crack at today's theme ingredient, truffles…"

The red-clad Iron Chef looked at the truffles quizzically as he scooped a handful into his basket, making sure to get a good number of both types.

"…and Doc, did you catch the look on Lloyd's face when the theme ingredient was revealed? He looked like he was in shock!"

"Yeah, I was gonna say," Hattori began, "Lloyd can't be too happy about the theme today, because truffles aren't widely used in Sylvarant—or anywhere in Aselia, for that matter. I don't know of many chefs that use them in this area. Actually, I'm surprised we've got both white and black truffles up there, given how rare they are here."

"Well, the pre-game notes say the Chairman had them flown in from his Japanese headquarters, so they're definitely not native, and the Iron Chef—well, both chefs, really, are looking at their selection of the theme ingredient as if to say, 'What did I do to deserve this?'"

"Fukui-san!"

"Floor reporter, Shinichiro Ohta, go!"

"Right after the theme ingredient was revealed, Iron Chef Irving said to his assistants, 'Truffles? What the heck are these things? I've never seen them before in my life!'"

"Uh-oh," Fukui said chuckling. "That can't be too good—"

"And Fukui-san?"

"Yes?"

"I asked Chef Ellis what he thinks about today's theme ingredient, and he said, 'Truffles, truffles, hmm, OK…I haven't used these in a very long time…however, I do know that these are very top quality, so I'm looking forward to the battle!"

"So maybe a double whammy for the Iron Chef today," Fukui remarked. "And speaking of the Iron Chef, giving a little taste test to each variety of truffle…he seems like he likes it…although it looks like he's asking himself, 'Animal, vegetable, or mineral?'"

"Well, I guess that's a start," Hattori said with a laugh.

"Hey! You try using an ingredient you've never seen before and see if you're laughing then!" Lloyd shouted at the announcers' booth before pushing a button on his rice cooker and dashing to the pantry.

"My apologies, Iron Chef," Fukui replied laughing. "Before we get too carried away, let's meet our guests for today's battle; first, a relative veteran judge here in Kitchen Stadium, Yuan Ka-Fai. Good to have you here again, sir."

"Thanks for having me again."

"What do you think, Yuan? Ever had truffles before?"

"No, not really—I've heard of them, though, and I hear they're simply exquisite."

"Well, you're certainly in for a treat today. Enjoy today's battle."

"Thank you."

"And we also have, for the very first time, Mizuho Vice-chief Orochi Azumi."

"Hi, nice to be here."

"Azumi-san, first time here in Kitchen Stadium, what do you think of the battle so far?"

"It's far crazier than anything I've ever seen," Orochi remarked. "I'm curious to see if they really can pull everything off in an hour, so it should be a treat to watch."

"OK, and what about truffles? You ever had them before?"

"Well, I'm with Lloyd, I didn't even know what they were until they appeared on the ingredient stand. From what I've heard though, they have a lot to live up to, so I hope my expectations aren't too high today."

"All right, well, enjoy today's battle."

"Thank you."

"And, of course, our commentator, Dr. Yukio Hattori. Doc?"

"Always a pleasure."

"OK, let's get everyone caught up here," Fukui said as he took note of Lloyd cleaning a rather large chicken. "Looks like the Iron Chef is working with chicken?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised he's doing this, considering how little he knows about truffles," Hattori replied. "They typically go well with fat or dairy. So what he could do is take the whole chicken and tuck truffle pieces directly under the skin so that the chicken absorbs the strong truffle aroma."

"Hmm, okay, well, he's still working to clean that bird, so we'll see where he goes with that one. Now onto the other side, Chef Ellis, a quick check of the quality of those truffles with the sniff test, and now a quick slice on something else on his cutting board…what's that he's got there?"

"Looks like foie gras to me," Hattori said. "Yeah, like I said, fat goes really well with truffles, and foie gras and truffles are just _such_ a decadent combination."

"OK, and those are now headed over to the frying pan—"

"Fukui-san!"

"Go!"

"He's frying the foie gras in some butter which he combined with some small truffle pieces."

"Ah, truffle butter," Hattori lit up. "A good move."

"Because of the fat AND dairy, correct?" Orochi asked.

"That's correct."

"And Fukui-san?"  
"Take it!"

"Apparently Iron Chef Irving heard Dr. Hattori's discourse about tucking truffles under poultry skin—as soon as he heard that he shouted, 'Wow, that's a great idea! I'll go ahead and do that!' And as you can see here, he did."

The announcers' booth erupted in laughter, until Yuan finally spoke up.

"Well, sounds a bit like his strategy, that Lloyd, I'll give him that," he said. "He never has one until about two seconds before he actually does it!"

"I dunno, it might actually work!" Fukui shot back laughing. "I wonder if he'll try one of those Dwarven Pot Luck Surprises he's been known to make in some of these battles…"

"And if he does, what's he going to put in it?" Yuan replied.

"Well, we'll worry about that when we get around to it, we've been talking too much and missing too much of this action," Fukui scolded.

"Take a look, then, at the challenger's side," Hattori said. "He's got a pot of some kind on the heat…"

"Did we catch what went in that?" Yuan asked.

"Some kind of liquor, judging by the bottle…"  
"Fukui-san? This is Mizuhoan sake."

"Mizuhoan sake, huh? Where's he planning to go with this?" Fukui asked. "Azumi-san, you seem to be the expert on this…"

"I…I have no idea where he's going with this one, I'm sorry," Orochi stammered.

The Wonder Chef then took some of the black truffle slices and dropped them into the pot, much to the surprise of the announcers.

"What the…he just dunked the truffles in the Mizuhoan sake!" Hattori choked almost in disbelief.

"Huh?" all the other announcers gasped.

"What'll that do to the flavor?" Yuan asked.

"Well, if he does it the way I think he'll do it, it'll taste vaguely like yogurt—granted, he'll have to add something to it in order to accomplish that effect. Although what, I'm not entirely sure."

"Well, he's got something white on his cutting board right now," Yuan said.

"Oh, blowfish soft roe!" Hattori lit up. "I don't think he'll pair this with the sake, but if he combines this with the foie gras…it'll be a knockout."

"FIFTEEN MINUTES HAVE ELAPSED."

"All right, fifteen minutes gone already in this revenge match…" Fukui continued narrating. "And check this out, ice cream machine already in action on the Iron Chef's side!"

"That's gotta be a winner right there," Yuan said.

"Fukui-san!"

"Go!"

"The ingredients in the Iron Chef's ice cream machine are truffles, vanilla bean, heavy cream and sugar."

"Thanks Ohta, and there you have it, folks, a classic truffle ice cream from the Iron Chef!"

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

Lloyd heard the most recent time call and began to panic.

"Fifteen minutes gone already? Shoot, I don't even know what I'm doing with these things! Uhh…" His hand brushed against a slab of beef he had unintentionally grabbed earlier.

"That's it! Tenderloin with a truffle sauce! Boys, get these steaks on the grill ASAP! Medium rare, please…and if you have any idea what to do for a sauce, holler at me!"

"Red wine, Lloyd! Use that…somehow…!" Chris, one of his assistants, yelled back at him.

_Red wine? Hmm…_ the Iron Chef thought as he grabbed a bottle, poured it into a small pot, and turned up the heat to let it simmer. _I like the sound of that…_

He ran back to his cutting board and chopped a black truffle to add to his sauce, which was beginning to take form in the pot.

"A red wine truffle sauce…y'know, I'm not so sure the Iron Chef has NEVER used this ingredient before," Hattori said. "I think I overheard him say something about matching that with the tenderloin he's got in the works, and that would be dynamite just by itself."

Lloyd ran around his side of the kitchen, looking for his truffle-stuffed chicken (which he hastily stuck into the oven) and grabbed several ingredients from the pantry, filling his arms with perhaps more than he could carry.

On the other side of the stadium, the Wonder Chef was busy with an egg mixture that he managed to turn black.

"Black eggs?" Orochi asked. "I don't think I remember pitan eggs looking quite like that…"

"Fukui-san!"

"Go!"

"These are NOT pitan eggs, they're regular eggs blended with rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and truffle puree."

"Well, there you have it, that's why the egg mixture is black, and Challenger Ellis giving that a quick whisk before dunking that into the pan…"

"Seems like he's pulling a recipe he didn't use in his last battle," Hattori remarked. "Though I must say, I think he's onto something here. I mean, tamagoyaki isn't anything new by any stretch of the imagination, but something tells me he isn't done with this yet."

The Wonder Chef shifted gears and fetched a pie sheet after running something different off to the fridge, which confused the commentators for a little bit.

"Wait, what was that he just dropped off in the fridge? I don't think I caught that," Yuan said. "And what is he trying to do with this?"

"Well, we saw he got piecrusts out earlier," Orochi added. "Oh, OK, I think I know what he's up to—he's chilling whatever it was he just put in the fridge so it'll jell, and then he'll enclose that into the piecrusts so it'll melt when he bakes them in the oven."

"Ohhhhhh…you know what, Azumi-san, I think you're onto something," Fukui said. "Haven't I seen that somewhere before…_Hattori-san_?"

"I, uh…I have no idea what you're talking about," the commentator said with shifty eyes. The whole booth was startled when they heard a loud shout from the Iron Chef's side.

"What the—why isn't this cooked yet?" Lloyd shouted. "We can't lose anymore time, people…c'mon, we've fought ten battles before this, we should know by now!"

"Iron Chef Irving does _not_ sound happy at all over there…wonder what happened?" Fukui asked.

"Fukui-san!"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the chicken that the Iron Chef tucked the truffle slices in?"

"Yeah, the one he put in the oven, right?"

"That's correct, but I've just been informed of some bad news—Chef Irving _forgot to turn the oven on_ when he put it in about ten minutes ago, back to you."

"Oh, that can't be good," Orochi said.

"Hopefully that time he lost won't affect the dish in the long run, but obviously he's a little shaken by this unfortunate mishap…"

"THIRTY MINUTES HAVE ELAPSED."

"…and he'll have to step it up even more, now that half the battle is already over and he must be scrambling!"

"That's…probably putting it lightly," Yuan said, almost sounding worried. "Though has he started any other dishes other than just those two we've seen?"

"Well, he had the rice he got going at the beginning of the battle, so I guess there's going to be a truffle rice of some kind," Hattori replied. "It's not that uncommon of a move, though maybe the Iron Chef knows a lot more about truffles than he thinks he does…"

"Fukui-san!"

"Go!"

"We've just received word from the Iron Chef's side that he WILL be attempting a Dwarven Pot Luck Surprise today!"

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

It appeared to be a walk in the park for the Wonder Chef—he had already battled twice in Kitchen Stadium, and he knew significantly more about the theme ingredient than the Iron Chef did.

He looked up and checked the clock, much to his horror.

_22:46. 22:45. 22:44…_

_I thought I _just_ heard the 30-minute call…where has all the time gone?_

"Check the gelatin in the fridge, quick!"

"Ready, Chef!"

"Bring it to me!"

He sliced up the gel into small cubes and arranged them around the pie sheet, which also contained raw truffles and the foie gras. After cutting six different pies and sealing each of them, he stuck them into the oven.

"TWENTY MINUTES TO GO."

"All right, twenty minutes left, and check this out, ice cream machine in action on the Iron Chef's side!"

"Wow, this is going to be simply decadent…why can't I be on the tasting panel today?" Hattori wailed.

"Fukui-san!"

"Go!"

"Some panic on both sides after the 20 minutes to go was announced; Challenger Ellis appeared to just mumble something about, 'I thought I heard the 30-minute call just now,' while the Iron Chef just wailed, '20 MINUTES? WHAT? How am I going to make it on time?' I think he's in shock."

"Well, I can understand first-time challengers being done in by the clock here, but both of them have been here before! I wonder what the deal is?"

Lloyd began to take a ton of different ingredients, combined them in the food processor, then placed the soft mixture into bowls and put them into the oven.

"And here it is, the Iron Chef's trademark Dwarven Pot Luck Surprise…same name, different ingredients every single battle—he hasn't done this in a long time, though…"

"Which is surprising, because he's undefeated in Kitchen Stadium so far…so I guess that means it's turned out well every time," Hattori said. "Doesn't he usually pan-fry this, though?"

"True, this is the first time we've seen a baked Pot Luck Surprise, wonder if he's done anything different to this one."

"Fukui-san!"

"Go!"

"The ingredients in the Iron Chef's Pot Luck Surprise THIS time are avocados, mangoes, foie gras (which he thought was some kind of thick butter), mascarpone cheese, and both black and white truffles."

"What is THIS all about?" Yuan said.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Orochi added.

"Well, we've come to learn to expect the completely unexpected from Iron Chef Irving…nobody knows how this will taste until the panel tastes it…still don't know why he's baking it this time instead of pan-frying it," Fukui added.

"Oh, OK, it's primarily because pan-fried avocados just don't taste terribly great, and I'm betting he wanted to harden at least the surface of the mixture. If he pan-fried it, it would've become too hard, and if he steamed it, it would become too soft," Hattori supplied. "Although I really hope the truffle aroma isn't suppressed by all those ingredients…he certainly chose some strong flavors."

"No kidding, and now, look at this, the tenderloin is done on the Iron Chef's side, and that just looks exquisite!"

"Oh, yes. And I'm going to guess that the red wine sauce he made earlier will go with this."

"Doc, you're spot-on with that, there goes the sauce on thick…boy, does that look great…"

"Hey, check this out, the Wonder Chef's got some kind of green pasta going on here," Orochi said, grabbing Hattori's attention. "Is this fettucine?"

"Yeah, that it is—I'm guessing it's herb-flavored in some way. Although it looks rather plain by itself…wonder what kind of sauce he's going to place over the top of this one…"

"Fukui-san!"

"Yes, Ohta!"

"I'm glad Hattori-san asked about that, the Wonder Chef has had clams marinated in white wine which he combined in a kind of cream sauce containing truffle oil—and he'll put THIS sauce on top of the green pasta, which by the way is flavored with spinach."

"Thanks, big fella, and that's the fourth of the Wonder Chef's dishes that we can piece together…although he's beginning to run out of time, so time is of the essence as we wind this battle down…"

"FIFTEEN MINUTES TO GO."

"…and speaking of winding down, fifteen minutes to go, the chefs must be feeling the squeeze in this last quarter of a revenge match for the ages!"

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

Lloyd heard the 15-minute call and looked over his dishes—the tenderloin in red wine truffle sauce, the chicken with truffles tucked under the skin (which he moved from the oven onto the stove), the truffle Dwarven Pot Luck Surprise, and his truffle ice cream (which was still churning away in the machine). To him, it seemed as though he had this battle in the bag, especially when he snuck a peek at the Wonder Chef's dishes.

_He doesn't seem to have anything terribly flashy over there…_ he thought.

To the average viewer, Lloyd was right. The only thing that possibly came close was the Wonder Chef's clam and truffle fettucine, but everything else—the truffle tamagoyaki (which was now topped with sea urchin roe), the truffle pie with foie gras, and the truffle sake—didn't exactly scream _Iron Chef_ to him.

But that was him editorializing—he still had a battle to fight, or at least thirteen minutes of one left. It was then that he realized he could start another dish—in fact, he already had.

"Take the rice, make a thick porridge with some potatoes and black truffle slices flavoring the broth, and then shave some white truffle over the top when you're done," he told one of his assistants.

On the other side, the Wonder Chef appeared to be in complete control of himself. His dishes were turning out, to him at least, perfectly.

"TEN MINUTES TO GO."

He stuck the soft blowfish roe and diced truffles into several glasses, then checked the doneness of his pasta.

_Not quite yet._

"What of the pies?"

"They need a few more minutes."

"Then chop some more truffles and brew me a sauce for those pies to sit on."

"Already here, Chef."

"Excellent, lay it down on those plates."

The Wonder Chef's assistant took the dark sauce and spooned it onto several plates. In the meantime, he checked the clams, which he had moved from the white wine to the cream sauce. A quick taste test later, he decided they were satisfactory and lowered the heat, then checked on his pasta one more time.

"FIVE MINUTES TO GO."

"Five minutes left, here comes the challenger's pasta out of the water, a quick strain there—boy, does that look good, but where are the truffles in this?"

"Well, you might remember he put truffle oil in the cream sauce," Yuan reminded Fukui.

"Right, but that by itself won't clear the theme ingredient requirement," Hattori countered. "I'm going to guess he's going to shave white truffle slices over the pasta right before serving."

"A pretty reasonable assumption, seeing as I haven't yet seen any truffles in this dish," Orochi said.

And sure enough, that's exactly what the Wonder Chef did as soon as his pasta was plated.

"THREE MINUTES TO GO."

"We are coming down to the wire of this truffle battle, less than three minutes to go, and the chefs are beginning to put their finishing touches on their dishes—take a look at this, the Iron Chef's ice cream is finally coming out of the machine, and I've gotta say, that's the best-looking ice cream I've ever seen!"

"Yeah, you can never go wrong with a truffle ice cream. Looks like he's garnishing that with a little mint, and…I think that's a raspberry, isn't it?" Hattori asked.

"Looks like it to me," Orochi added.

"And with that, it looks like all of Lloyd's dishes are completely finished…I think this is the first time we've seen him finish five, meantime Challenger Ellis appears to be scrambling to finish his fourth and final dish in time…"

"ONE MINUTE TO GO."

"He'll have to hustle now, the final 60 seconds of this revenge match ticking down…Challenger Ellis, marching into Kitchen Stadium for a third time to attempt to tarnish the blemish-free record of Chairman Kaga's newest Iron Chef, Lloyd Irving…"

"THIRTY SECONDS TO GO."

"…can he possibly pull it off with the four dishes he has? The pies are out, they're going down—they'll have to be down on the plate before the clock hits zero…"

"FIFTEEN SECONDS TO GO."

"…15 seconds left now, he's almost got them all down, they turned out fantastic, I must say…"

"TEN SECONDS TO GO."

"They are all down, both sides appear to be finished, this has been one heck of a battle…"

"FIVE SECONDS."

"The final seconds ticking down…"

"THREE."

"TWO."

"ONE."

"And that's it!" Fukui roared as the Gong of Fate rang out. "The cooking's done, the Truffle Battle is OVAH!"

* * *

**What a difficult theme to write for. Does it seem lopsided? Or are we looking at another nail-biter? Ryori no Tetsu-Shinfonia kono ato!**


	5. Decadence on a Plate

**Chapter 5: Decadence on a Plate**

**==FARENHEIT 451 (FUKUI VO)==**

Challenger Ellis is offering 4 dishes.

First, Soft Roe in Hot Sake. He wants the tasters to enjoy the subtle sweetness of the blowfish roe and the essence of the truffles, which he soaked in Mizuhoan sake.

Second, Truffle Sweet Omelet. A truffle puree enhances the sweet flavor of the fluffy layers of egg. Sea urchin roe provides the accent, adding a luxurious touch to a traditional dish.

Third is Spinach Fettucine with Truffle Sauce. Clams marinated in white wine adorn the green pasta, covered in a smooth cream sauce enhanced by shaved white truffles.

Last is Foie Gras and Truffle Pie. Decadence abounds in the savory, smooth blend of foie gras and truffles.

Iron Chef Irving counters with a set of five dishes.

First, Dwarven Pot Luck Surprise, the Iron Chef's trademark. A unique blend of avocados, foie gras, and truffles are accented by the sweet mango and the rich mascarpone cheese. Not even the Iron Chef knows how this tastes until it hits the tasters' tongues.

Second, Stuffed Whole Chicken. He tucked black truffle slices under the skin of this whole chicken, letting it absorb the aroma of the diamond of the kitchen.

Third, Truffle Rice Porridge. A light break from his heavier courses—a simple rice porridge flavored with black truffles. Freshly-shaved white truffles accent the dish.

Fourth, Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Truffle Sauce. Who could ask for anything more from a steak, cooked to perfection, and enhanced by a luxurious red wine sauce?

Last, Truffle Ice Cream. The Iron Chef prepares the most decadent of desserts, sure to leave the tasters in heaven.

**==FIGHTING 17****TH**** (FUKUI VO)==**

The events of the Aselia Cup Tournament four months ago have upset the man to challenge its champion. He's back for a revenge match against the man who took him down, today's challenger, Martin Ellis.

His crosshairs are locked onto Aselia's champion, Iron Chef Sylvaranti II, Lloyd Irving.

Chairman Kaga unveils the theme—the Kitchen Stadium is filled with the luxurious aroma of truffles—both white and black!

Challenger Ellis, fired up and ambitious as ever, whips up a set of four dishes.

Iron Chef Irving proudly defends his honor with a decadent set of five.

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

Orochi and Yuan took their seats at the judges' table with the Chairman, and were soon joined by Pastor Piccaring and Cacao. This confused Chef Ellis, who asked the Chairman why there were only four judges instead of the usual five.

"Ah, Kate from Sybak was supposed to be here as well, but I'm afraid she had some prior engagements at the Royal Academy," Kaga explained. "We were unable to find a suitable replacement in time, so we will carry on with four. Be advised, should there be a tie, we will fight a 30-minute overtime battle."

"Very well," the Wonder Chef replied. "I shall retrieve my first course, then."

While the panel sampled the Wonder Chef's first course, Lloyd was informed of this same development backstage. He shuddered at the prospect of fighting an overtime battle, the difficulty of the last battle coming back to the forefront of his mind.

_Well, we'll jump that hurdle when we come to it._

Meanwhile, the Wonder Chef's truffle sake was getting mixed reviews. His suggestion to mix the roe with the sake—thereby making it more creamy—turned the already brown liquid a rather interesting root beer float color.

"It should taste a bit like yogurt," he told them.

"Yes, you're right, just vaguely like yogurt," Cacao said, still unsure of whether or not she liked it.

"This tastes very…erm, unusual," Orochi said.

"You mean you like it?" Kaga prodded.

Orochi furrowed his brow, smiling wryly while swirling his mug. "Well…" he said with a chuckle. Soon enough, the Wonder Chef was the only one who wasn't laughing. Sensing a bit of discomfort, he quickly retrieved his second course.

"So far your dishes have had some…_interesting _color to them," Pastor Piccaring said. "First we got a whitish-brown drink, now we get gray eggs and…this ingredient I've never seen before."

"That's sea urchin roe," the Wonder Chef explained. "They match well with eggs."

"I see," the pastor said warily as he took his first bite.

"I think the sweetness from both the egg and sea urchin roe overpowered the truffles," Yuan said. "The unappetizing color doesn't help matters, either."

"Well now, wait a minute, I think I can taste the truffles in this…" Orochi said, squinting a bit. "Yep, they're there, but barely. I think you needed something to draw out their flavor a bit more."

_Never mind this, these next two will knock them off their feet…_ the Wonder Chef thought as he retrieved his next course. He elected to serve the pasta himself, insisting the tasters would enjoy the flavors better if he did so.

_Whatever you say, Mr. Wonder Chef…_ Yuan thought as he twirled the fettucine in his fork.

"I think I've made enough remarks about the color of your dishes," Pastor Piccaring said, "but I must say, I hardly taste any truffle in this. If you were going for subtlety, I must be missing something."

"The clams and the sauce go together quite nicely," Cacao said, "but I agree with the Pastor—I don't taste very much truffle in here."

"This is a fine dish," Orochi began, "but I don't think it's a good dish for a truffle battle. They aren't the focus of this dish—quite frankly, I don't know what is."

_I don't want to hear any more of this,_ the Wonder Chef thought as he slinked back to retrieve his last course.

Backstage, Lloyd was watching the proceedings, half in anticipation, half in amusement.

_They're definitely not holding back today,_ he thought. _This has to be some of the harshest criticism I've ever heard from a panel. Although then again, this was a tough ingredient…_

"Trés bien," Lloyd heard Yuan say.

"Wow, I never thought he'd get any good comments today, and then all Yuan can come up with is that? I'll never understand this show…" Lloyd murmured.

"Chef Irving!" Mr. Matsuo called out. "Please have your first course ready for the panel."

"Yessir!"

**~料理の鉄シンフォニア~**

"Another tough one today," Kaga simply stated.

"Yes sir, definitely. I didn't even know what a truffle was until the veil came off the ingredient stand," Lloyd replied, eliciting a few laughs from the panel. They quickly faded, however, when the Dwarven Pot Luck Surprise arrived at the table.

"Oh boy, here we go again," Yuan said as he eyed the suspicious mixture. "Last time I was here it was cod, this time it's truffles. Hopefully this will be better than last time…" he said as he took a bite. He visibly struggled to swallow it after some chewing.

"This is one that should stay with the dwarves," Orochi said. "Although I'm not sure even THEY would want to eat this."

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Pastor Piccaring groaned, reaching for his glass of water.

Kaga said nothing, setting his fork down on the plate and lowering his hands into his lap.

"Chef Irving, you may…fetch your next course…" he coughed.

_The Wonder Chef's probably having a field day with this,_ Lloyd thought as he began serving his truffle chicken.

"I think you could've done better with the presentation," Cacao said. "But the flavors themselves are not bad. The truffle clearly comes out in this one, and you've cooked the chicken expertly."

"If you had added some vegetables or stuffed the chicken with some herbs, it would've been dynamite," Orochi said.

"Actually, I disagree," the Pastor spoke up. "I like the simplicity of it as it stands. If he had added anything else, the truffles would have been lost, and he might have overcompensated with the truffle flavor to the point of overwhelming us with it.

"OK, can he be on the panel more often?" Lloyd joked at Kaga, pointing at Pastor Piccaring. As the panel (Kaga included) laughed it off, he fetched his rice porridge.

"I'm glad you think so," the Pastor called out to him. "Of course, I would be happy to come back—if it pleases Mr. Kaga?"

The Chairman smiled and bowed at him. "Of course, Pastor, it would be an honor."

_He'd be better than that idiot red-haired Chosen, in any event…_

"Getting us back on track," Cacao said gently, "I think this is quite good. It's a nice, light dish, but also quite luxurious in flavor with the essence of truffles in the broth."

"Oh, I forgot to mention, I had some white truffles in the rice cooker along with what you see here," Lloyd added.

"Ah, well, then it makes more sense. A very clever presentation," Yuan said. "I tasted the truffle flavor for sure, but I didn't see any truffles in the dish itself. Maybe they're there and I just can't see them…"

"Well, you might have a harder time trying to pick them out of my next dish," Lloyd said as he started cutting portions of the tenderloin to serve to the panel.

A few bites later, Pastor Piccaring was speechless.

"This is so good," he managed to eke out. "I…I can't describe it at all, other than the fact that this is wonderful."

"It's a known fact that red wine and beef go well together," Yuan said, "but you've taken this to a whole new level. I love the subtlety of the truffles in the sauce—that was the only place you used them, correct?"

Lloyd nodded.

"I'm impressed."

_Hehe, didn't expect that kind of reaction…I wonder how they'll react to this ice cream?_

Cacao giggled like her daughter was wont to do. "I love it!"

"If this is what heaven is like, I'd willingly go early," Pastor Piccaring said. "Simply brilliant."

"Nothing more to say other than, excellent job," Orochi said.

"You know, from the challenger, I felt as though we got something _with_ truffle, as opposed to the Iron Chef's dishes, where we got truffles fully incorporated in the dishes. I think this speaks to the amount of skill our newest Iron Chef has acquired in such a short amount of time," Yuan remarked.

"Thank you, Iron Chef Irving. We should be ready in a few minutes," Kaga said. "In the meantime, to the stadium, if you will please…"

* * *

**With an endorsement like that, the Wonder Chef's hopes for vengeance may be dashed…the verdict, when we return!**


	6. Culinary Justice

**Chapter 6: Culinary Justice**

The panel trailed Chairman Kaga into Kitchen Stadium to a round of applause. Kaga paused at his familiar position behind the ingredient stand and silenced the audience.

"It was to be the revenge match of the century, today's truffle battle," he began. "Whatever the verdict is, know that the result has been verified as fair, and I will not accept any excuses whatsoever."

The Wonder Chef nodded in acknowledgment. A cold pause pierced the Stadium as the two chefs looked on. The Chairman beckoned for the all-too-familiar piano chords to begin.

"Now, the verdict."

**==TIME LAPSE==**

"Today's truffle battle has proved to be a decadent adventure for our panel, and a grudge match for the two chefs. The challenger, the Wonder Chef, Martin Ellis…trying to regain his honor after his humiliating defeat at the hands of Iron Chef Irving, who's also trying to defend his honor as an Iron Chef. And now, it is time to know…who takes it? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?"

Kaga paused, his face slightly twitching as he finally called out…

"Iron Chef, Lloyd Irving!"

**==FARENHEIT 451==**

"It's the Iron Chef!" Fukui cried. "Irving, getting the job done and proving that his last victory over the Wonder Chef was no fluke! Another stinging defeat for the Wonder Chef, but it is the Iron Chef who clenches the 'W' today!"

And, predictably, the Wonder Chef again refused to shake hands with Lloyd.

"And while the Wonder Chef stews away at this defeat, let's check the scores: Azumi, 17-14 Iron Chef; Ka-Fai, 16-12 Iron Chef; Piccaring, 18-14 Iron Chef; Renard, 18-15 Iron Chef…not the prettiest win, but a victory and a sweep nonetheless!"

_Wow…_ Lloyd thought upon hearing those scores. _Never mind mine, those have to be the lowest scores I've ever heard in the history of this show! Whatever, I still won, and that's all that counts!_

* * *

**Lest we forget, Lloyd is still undefeated in Kitchen Stadium. Can he stay that way? We'll find out if and when I write him into another ICS story. Until next time, I bid you good eating.**


End file.
